Social Media as a Religion

Overview

I often find myself having lengthy chats with ChatGPT about a single topic, whereas my interactions with Google Gemini tend to be brief and matter-of-fact, limited to the specific task I’ve asked it to perform. However, I recently had a rare, extended conversation that I found quite interesting, so I thought I’d summarize it briefly in this post. As the title suggests, the topic is whether modern platforms like social media and YouTube have, in fact, become a kind of cult religion.

 Personally, aside from this blog, I don’t use social media at all. I do post videos on YouTube, but my channel is essentially just a place where I upload songs created by generative AI—and I’m clearly an outsider to the whole thing. You might think, “If you want attention or to go viral, you should come up with a different approach,” but I do things my own way, and if that doesn’t spark interest, I’m fine with it. That said, I do care about things like blog views and YouTube views, and it would be a lie to say I don’t want to increase them as much as possible.

 For some reason, I’ve started to question the “follower and like races” and the “view and play count races” that these social media platforms and services have set up. In short, I’ve begun to wonder why I’ve started caring about blog views and YouTube play counts—things I supposedly had no interest in to begin with—and why I’ve come to crave them. I had absolutely no interest in these things when I was a complete outsider not participating in them, but as I stepped inside this world, I somehow began to recognize the value in those metrics. This made me wonder if it might be a kind of religion. So, I asked Google Gemini to explain the structure of social media and religion, and I’m pasting its response here.

The Religious Structure of the Approval Competition on Social Media

The “competition for social media followers and likes” can be described as a “decentralized modern religion” in which people voluntarily place their faith in it and monitor and evaluate one another, even though there is no clear, absolute authority such as a god or a religious leader. I will explain the religious structure behind why people allow their lives and minds to be consumed by what, objectively speaking, are nothing more than “numbers on a screen,” from four different perspectives.

1. The Birth of a New “God” and “Scripture”

The “will of God” and “scriptures” found in traditional religions have been replaced by technology in the modern era.

• The Invisible God Called the Algorithm: It is the platform’s “algorithm” that decides whose posts will go viral (be saved) and whose will be buried (be abandoned). To avoid displeasing this “god,” people desperately analyze trends in popular posts and optimize themselves accordingly.
• Numbers as the Absolute Scripture: The number of followers and “likes” functions as an “absolute precept (score)” that proves an individual’s humanity and value. Those with higher numbers are deemed “correct (more virtuous)” and attain a priest-like status characterized by authority and influence.

2. Indoctrination of “Doctrines” and Self-Censorship

In the religious space of social media, the doctrine that “being recognized by others = happiness and righteousness” is thoroughly ingrained.

• The Pursuit of Worldly Benefits (Aesthetic Appeal): Posting photos of beautiful meals, luxurious trips, and perfect physiques is equivalent to the believer’s declaration in traditional religions: “I am this blessed (saved).”
• Inquisition and Confession (Online Backlash and Apologies): Those who make statements deviating from the community’s consensus (or the algorithm’s ethics) are subjected to a religious trial known as “online backlash.” Fearing social ostracism, people engage in intense self-censorship (confession) beforehand, asking themselves, “What will people think if I say this?”

3. “Fanatical Believers” Who Provide Free Labor

The most terrifying aspect of this religion is the structure in which believers voluntarily offer their wealth to the platform (the ruler).

• “Attention” as an Offering: To obtain “likes” and followers—this “fictitious currency”—believers continuously offer up their real assets: their time, privacy, emotions, and personal data.
• Unpaid Content Creation: The platform merely provides the infrastructure; the actual content is created and amplified by the believers themselves, driven by their desire for validation. To an outsider, this creates a baffling dynamic: “Why are they posting so desperately to maintain the corporate system—for free, and sometimes at the cost of their mental health?”

4. The Endless Loop of “Salvation”

Traditional religions have goals (salvation) such as “going to heaven” or “attaining enlightenment,” but the religion of social media has no end.

• Dopamine Depletion: The pleasure of receiving a “like” vanishes in an instant. You must get even more “likes” next time, and then gain even more followers; otherwise, you’ll be struck by a sense of spiritual starvation (hell).
• The Paradox of Loneliness: In a place where you were supposed to connect with others and gain recognition, you’re constantly compared to others, causing your inner self to become increasingly lonely and unstable.

Impression

Reflecting on the previous section, it seems that for influencers and YouTubers, metrics like follower counts and view counts serve as absolute standards of value, and those with high numbers are considered “important.” Within communities of influencers and YouTubers, it’s likely not uncommon for hierarchies to form based on these numbers, with those at the top having the highest figures.

 However, from an outsider’s perspective, follower counts and view counts are not meaningful criteria of value, and among those with high numbers, there are likely many people who are socially worthless. The fact that famous influencers and YouTubers are often the targets of attacks is likely because many people feel anger at seeing individuals whom they deem worthless strutting around society as if they own the place.

 Based on the analysis in this article, it might be concluded that influencers and YouTubers are essentially members of a cult-like religion, and we should not view them as people living in a world with the same values as our own. There is no way a serious discussion with a cult member will lead to common ground; it is better to think of it as a situation where a cult member tries to assert their superiority based on their own worldview. If you want to maintain good mental health, it might be best to have a way to block such information and prevent it from entering your own world.

 Finally, what I found interesting about Gemini’s text was that it made me wonder if this concept could also be applied to the structure of capitalism. In fact, there is a theory in economics that the structure of capitalism is identical to that of Christianity (Max Weber’s book *The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism* is famous for this). I won’t delve too deeply into this here, but I’d like to conclude this article by presenting my own interpretation of how Gemini’s text applies to capitalism.

The Religious Structure of Capitalism

“The capitalist race for high income and wealth” can be described as a “decentralized modern religion” in which people voluntarily place their faith in it and monitor and evaluate one another, despite the absence of a clear, absolute authority such as a god or a religious leader. I will explain the religious structure behind why people allow their lives and minds to be consumed by what, objectively speaking, are nothing more than “numbers on a screen,” from four different perspectives.

1. The Birth of a New “God” and “Scripture”

The “will of God” and “scriptures” found in traditional religions have been replaced by money in the modern era.

• The Invisible God: The Ruling Class: It is the “convenience” of the ruling class that determines whose labor and investments are valued (and thus “saved”), and whose are rendered meaningless (and thus “abandoned”). To avoid displeasing this “god,” people desperately analyze trends in preferred behavior and optimize themselves accordingly.
• Numbers as the Absolute Scripture: Money—in the form of income and assets—functions as an “absolute precept (score)” that proves an individual’s humanity and worth. Those with higher numbers are deemed “correct (virtuous)” and attain a priest-like status characterized by authority and influence.

2. Indoctrination of “Doctrines” and Self-Censorship

In capitalist society, the doctrine that “earning money = happiness and justice” is thoroughly instilled.

• Pursuit of worldly benefits (income and assets): Flaunting high pay stubs or financial assets is equivalent to a believer in a traditional religion proclaiming, “I am this blessed (saved).”
• Inquisition and Confession: Those who act outside the laws established by the state (or the interests of the ruling class) are subjected to a religious trial called “unemployment, bankruptcy, or arrest.” People who fear social annihilation engage in thorough compliance with the law (confession) in advance, asking themselves, “Will doing this violate the law?”

3. “Fanatical Believers” Who Pay Taxes Without Compensation

The most terrifying aspect of this religion is the structure in which believers voluntarily offer their wealth to the state (i.e., the ruling class).

• Labor and Investment as Offerings: To acquire “fictitious value” in the form of income and financial assets, believers continuously offer up their time, talents, effort, emotions, and real-world assets—the true value of their personal property.
• Tax Payment Without Compensation: The ruling class merely establishes tax laws; the labor and investment required to pay taxes (and earn money) are created and driven by the believers themselves, driven by their desire for validation. Even when the state does not actually need that much funding to provide public services, it continues to show the public how tax revenue is falling short. To an outsider, this creates a baffling scenario: “Why do people continue to work desperately to maintain the economic system, for low wages and sometimes at the cost of their mental health?”

4. The Endless Loop of “Salvation”

Traditional religions have goals (salvation) such as “going to heaven” or “attaining enlightenment,” but capitalist society has no end.

• Dopamine Depletion: The pleasure of earning money vanishes in an instant. Unless you acquire more money next time, and then increase your financial assets even further, you will be struck by a sense of spiritual starvation (hell).
• The Paradox of Loneliness: In places where you were supposed to connect with others and gain recognition, you are constantly compared to others, causing your inner self to become increasingly lonely and unstable.